Universalists and atheists share this in common: apologists for each position devote enormous amounts of time, passion, and energy to attacking opposing positions and laboring to make everyone agree with their viewpoint–even though, if they are right, what anyone happens to believe or do in this life makes absolutely no ultimate difference in the long-run. (Steve Hays)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! This week has proven to be a very fruitful one from the (digital) ink used up to produce posts that are a blessing to the church. So let’s dive right in!

• Spreading the Gospel to other nations has been an ongoing fulfillment of Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations. Unfortunately, some work done in the name of missions has led to false reporting of the numbers of converts and churches formed in distant lands. I want to point you to an Indian convert who calls the West to Gospel sanity in the work of missions to India.
• Nabeel Qureshi, a Muslim convert to Christianity, recently wrote a book about his conversion, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, depicting his struggle to reject Islam, yet was loved deeply by a Christian to come to know Christ. If you haven’t read the book yet, but would like to see how God works through a believer who knows the Scriptures and offers Christlike love, you’ll enjoy this review.
• For moms who feel overwhelmed with caring for the little ones, this Q&A will hopefully be of some help.
• Ever wondered what Scripture says about the age of the earth and whether God created the world in six 24-hour days? Well, other than reading Genesis 1-2, Steve Ham writes a helpful post discussing these very questions.
• Ladies, is it possible to love your husband before you even meet him? Carolyn McCulley believes so, and here are her reasons.
• Rob Bell recently published a book on marriage that endorsed same-sex marriage. He was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, and New Testament professor Michael Kruger has written a response to some of the claims Bell made in that interview. Don’t be surprised if you come across these assertions, but be prepared.
• How can you discern with wisdom whether someone in your circle of friends may be a young believer or may not even be a Christian? What are some signs worth keeping in mind? Aaron Armstrong has some thoughtful words.
• Pastor Derek Thomas gives some wisdom on the necessity and benefits of expository teaching, both for the preacher and for the congregation. If you are under expository preaching regularly, time to thank God for His Word and your pastor for preaching that Word.
• The folks at Grace to You remind us of need to exercise our belief in the sufficiency of Scripture in relation to psychology and counseling. In our therapeutically-minded culture, this is one message we all need to hear loud and clear.
• In an exciting new series (at least, for me), Joe Carter begins writing about memorization and the added benefits of memorizing Scripture to “feed our imaginations.” This first post will whet your appetite to dive in and begin memorizing to the glory of God.
• Phil Johnson, Dan Philips, and Frank Turk of Pyromaniacs fame, recently held a conference on the sufficiency of Scripture, called “Sufficient Fire,” a follow-up to the “Strange Fire” conference and a precursor to the upcoming Shepherds Conference. Audio and video has just been posted. This is time well worth spending.
• Speaking of conferences, Ligonier Ministries also just released audio and video of their most recent national conference, “After Darkness, Light,” which was about our need to be “revived and restored to a high view of God, His law, His people, and His plan for the world.”
  

That’s all for this week! May God be glorified in our love and honor of His character and His Word. Don’t forget to worship God together on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria